Garment cutting and stacking method

ABSTRACT

A garment cutting and stacking method and apparatus for use in combination with a sewing machine where the center plait of a shirt is applied to the front panel of the shirt in the shirt making process. The center plait is positioned on the shirt panel so that its ends overlie the leading and trailing edges of the panel, and as the pieces are stitched together and moved from the sewing machine, the leading and trailing ends of the center plait are cut so that they are approximately co-extensive with the leading and trailing edges of the shirt panel. A stacker is responsive to the passage of the trailing edge of the shirt panel from the sewing machine to grasp and stack the shirt panel at a position remote from the sewing machine.

[ 1 July 11, 1972 Frost [54] GARMENT CUTTING AND STACKING METHOD [72]inventor: Wade W. Frost, Vidalia, Ga. [73] Assignee: Oxford lndustrles,Inc., Atlanta, Ga

[22] Filed: Oct. 8, I970 211 Appl. No.: 79,031

[52] 1.8.0 ..ll2l262,ll2/l2l.29,ll2ll30 511 int. Cl. ..D05b 1/00 [58]Field of Search ..1 12/262, 265, 267-269,

ll2/l30, l2l.29, l52; 2/243 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,989,018 6/l96l Bleicher ..l l2/262 3,223,059 12/1965 Jacobsl2/l30 X Attomey-Jones & Thomas [57] ABSTRACT A garment cutting andstacking method and apparatus for use in combination with a sewingmachine where the center plait of a shirt is applied to the front panelof the shirt in the shirt making process. The center plait is positionedon the shirt panel so that its ends overlie the leading and trailingedges of the panel, and as the pieces are stitched together and movedfrom the sewing machine, the leading and trailing ends of the centerplait are cut so that they are approximately co-extensive with theleading and trailing edges of the shirt panel. A stacker is responsiveto the passage of the trailing edge of the shirt panel from the sewingmachine to grasp and stack the shirt panel at a position remote from thesewing machine.

6Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PM'ENTEDJUL 1 1 I972 SHEET 10F 5 BY JdhmffimwINVENTOR WADE W. FROST ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUL 1 1 can 3, 675.604

SHEET 3 BF 5 SOL 3| I22 CONTROL INVENTOR WADE WV FROST BY aamufmATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUL 11 m2 3, 675.604

SHEET u or 5 ENTOR H- WADE w 0ST ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUL 1 1 1972 SHEET 5OF 5 INVENTOR WADE W FROST ATTORNEYS GARMENT CUTTING AND STACKING METHODBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION When the center plait of a garment, such asa man's shirt or a woman's dress, is applied to the front portion of thegarment, the length of the center plait is usually formed longer thanthe garment panel so that when the center plait is sewn to the garmentpanel its ends overlie the top and bottom edges of the garment panel.Usually at a subsequent garment processing station a worker trims theends of the center plait so that the cut edges are approximately even orcoextensive with the edges of the garment panel. The upper end of thecenter plait, usually the leading end as the pieces are processedthrough the sewing machine, usually must be cut with a curved cut or anangled cut to match the neck opening of the garment, and the lower ortrailing end of the center plait usually is cut with a straight cut thatmatches the lower or trailing edge of the garment panel.

In order to handle the garment parts for the cutting of the ends of thecenter plait it has been customary for the first worker that sewed thecenter plaits to the garment panels to stack the sewn garment parts inthe vicinity of her machine for subsequent collection by a secondworker. The second worker usually collected the stacked garment partsand delivered them to a third worker who cut the ends of the centerplaits and restacked the garment parts. The garment parts were thenagain collected and delivered to a subsequent garment processing stationwhere subsequent stitching, and other functions were performed. Themanual steps of stacking, collecting, conveying, cutting and restackingthe garment parts in the process of applying the center plaits to thegarment panels impede the garment manufacturing process, increase theprobability of misplacing garment parts in the manufacturing process,and are costly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, the present inventioncomprises an automatic garment cutting and stacking method and apparatuswherein the overhanging ends of the center plait of a shirt or similargarment are cut at the neck area and tail area of the garment as thegarment leaves the sewing machine. The leading or upper end of thecenter plait is cut with a curved cut that corresponds to the curvatureof the neck opening of the garment piece, and the trailing or lower endof the center plait is cut with a straight cut which is approximatelycoextensive with the lower or trailing edge of the garment piece. As thetrailing end of the center plait is cut, a stacker grasps the garmentpiece and moves it away from the sewing machine to a stacking area. Thegarment stacker responds to the movement of the trailing end of thegarment piece as it moves from beneath the sewing head of the sewingmachine to the cutter. The stacking area to which the garments are movedcomprises a conveyor mechanism which is indexed by the worker at thesewing station when a bunch of garment pieces has been processed throughthe sewing machine cutter and stacker, so that the bunches of garmentportions maintain their identity.

Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide an automatic garmentcutting and stacking method and apparatus for cutting the leading andtrailing ends of the center plait of a garment and for stacking thegarment parts.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatusfor cutting and stacking garment parts in response to the movement ofthe garment parts from a sewing machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus forautomatically cutting and stacking garment parts which is inexpensive toconstruct, inexpensive to operate, which eliminates the manual steps ofstacking, cutting and restacking the garment parts, and which enablesthe sewing machine operator to work at a high rate of speed.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent upon reading the following specification when taken intoconjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 illustrates the manner in whicha center plait is attached to a front panel of a shirt or similargarment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the garment sewing stationwhich shows the garment cutter and stacker.

FIG. 3 is a detailed showing of the cutter.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the control system for the garmentcutter and stacker of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 illustrates the manner in which a center plait is attached to thefront panel of a garment that has no from opening in the garment, suchas a woman's dress.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a sewing station whichincludes the modified garment cutter and modified garment stacker.

FIG. 7 is a detailed showing of the cutter of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a detailed perspective showing of the cutter of FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of the control mechanism utilized forthe garment cutter and stacker of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now in more detail tothe drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout theseveral views, FIG. 1 illustrates a partially completed shirt section 10which includes a shirt front panel 11 and a center plait I2. The shirtfront panel 11 includes side edge 14 which is normally connected to theback panel of the shirt, tail edge 15, shoulder edge 16, arm openingsedge 17, neck opening edge 18, and center opening edge 19 at the centerof the garment. Center plait 12 is applied to the exterior surface ofthe shirt front panel 11 at center opening edge 19 by stitching alongthe side edges of the center plait. The overlying leading and trailingends 20 and 21 at the upper and lower ends of the shirt front panel IIare cut away from the garment part with a cut 22 at the neck openingedge 18 which is curved and is approximately coextensive with the curvedneck opening edge. The trailing end 21 is cut away with a straight out24 which is approximately coextensive with the tail edge I5 of the shirtfront panel I]. Cuts 22 and 24 were performed manually in the prior artprocesses and are performed automatically as the garment part isprocessed from the sewing machine, as will be described hereinafter.

As is illustrated in FIG. 2 a sewing station 25 includes a work table orplatform 26 upon which a sewing machine 28 having sewing head 29 ismounted in the usual manner. In addition, a garment puller 30, cutterapparatus 31 and control box 32 are also mounted on work table 26.Stacker 34 and conveyor 35 are mounted behind and adjacent work table26.

Garment puller 30 comprises brush puller 36 and roller puller 38. Brushpuller 36 includes motor housing 39 mounted behind the base of sewingmachine 28 and rotatable brush head 40 which is driven in the directionas indicated by arrow 41 by a motor (not shown) in motor housing 39. Themotor is actuated by a switch connected to the operator's foot pedal sothat the brush puller will be operated during the operation of thesewing head. A plurality of groups of brush bristles 42 extend radiallyoutwardly from brush head 40 and brush across the surface of work table26 in the direction as indicated by arrow 41. The groups of brushbristles 42 are spaced generally in alignment with the gap 44 betweensewing head 29 and the base of sewing machine 28, so that the bristleswill engage the material passing through the gap of the sewing machine.Also, brush puller 36 is angled at approximately 10 away from the pathof the material passing through gap 44, so that the groups of brushbristles 42 will tend to slightly stretch the material away from sewinghead 29 and remove any folds or wrinkles from the material with a gentlesweeping motion. The gentle engagement of the groups of brush bristles42 with the material causes a light force to be applied to the materialas the material passes through sewing head 29 and this light force isenough to cause the material to move through gap 44 with the operationof the sewing head.

Roll puller 38 is positioned behind and in alignment with sewing head29. Drive shaft 44 extends between roll puller 38 and housing 45, isconnected therebetween by means of universal joints, and includes atelescoping slip joint 47 for flexibility. Belt 46 is connected to thesewing machine drive mechanism (not shown) into sheave 48 of housing 45,and sheave 48 is connected through drive gears (not shown) in housing todrive shaft 44 of roll puller 38. The arrangement is such that rollpuller 38 operates in unison with sewing machine 28 and the surfacespeed of roller puller 38 is adjustable and usually maintained slightlyfaster than the surface speed of sewing machine 28. Thus, when thematerial from sewing head 29 reaches roll puller 38, no slack will occurin the material as it is pushed from the sewing head.

Cutter apparatus 31 is positioned in alignment with sewing head 29 androll puller 38 and includes support bracket 50, pneumatic ram 51, pusherbar 52 and coil tension springs 54 and 55. Curved cutter blade 56 andstraight cutter blade 58 are positioned below support bracket in opening59 of work table 26. Curved cutter blade 56 is pivoted at one of itsends about the support axle 60, while straight cutter blade 58 ispivotally supported at one of its ends about axle 61. Axle supportblocks 62 and 63 are spaced apart on work table 26, and axle and 61extend through aligned openings in the support blocks. Coil compressionspring 64 bears against rear axle support block 63 and collar 65 isattached to axle 60, to urge axle 60 and its curved cutter blade 56toward the leading edge 66 of opening 59 in work table 26. Coilcompression spring 68 bears on axle support block 52 and collar 69 whichis attached to axle 61, to urge axle 61 and straight cutter blade 58toward trailing edge 70 of opening 59 in work table 26. Coil tensionsprings 54 and 55 are attached at their upper ends to support bracket 50and at their lower ends to cutter blade 56 and 58, to hold the cutterblades up out of opening 59 in work table 26 against the cross bar ofthe T-shaped pusher bar 52. A coil compression spring 71 (FIG. 4) insidepneumatic ram 51 normally maintains pusher bar 52 in its retractedposition, which allows cutter blades 56 and 58 to stay in their pivotedup positions, as illustrated. When pneumatic ram 51 is actuated, pusherbar 52 will cause cutter blades 56 and 58 to move down into opening 59in work table 26 with a scissors action with respect to the leading andtrailing edges 66 and 70 of openings 59, to perform a cutting action.

The radius of curvature of the curved cutting blade 56 is greater thanthe radius of curvature of the leading edge 66 of cutter opening 59.Since the base of the curved cutter blade 56 is received within theconfines of cutter blade opening 59 before any movement of the cutterblade occurs, the downward pivotal movement of curved cutter blade 56together with the resilience of coil compression spring 64 will allowthe cutting edge of the cutter blade to walk along or progressivelycontact the leading edge 66 of the cutter blade opening 59. Cutterapparatus 31 is positioned so that the normal path of the center plait12 of the shirt front panel 11 will pass beneath cutter blades 56 and 58at a distance away from the base of each of the cutter blades, so thatif any bounce or vibration is experienced in curved cutter blade 56 asit engages the leading edge of 66 of cutter blade opening 59, the curvedcutter blade will have had time to recover from such bounce or vibrationand accurately perform its cutting function on center plait 12.

Stacker 34 is positioned behind work table 26 and includes a pair ofbearing blocks 72 and 73 spaced apart from each other on a support (notshown), and a generally Z-shaped pick-up or stacker arm 75 has its lowerleg 76 rotatably sup ported in bearing blocks 72 and 73. The center leg77 extends upwardly from bearing blocks 72 and 73 to a positiongenerally above the trailing edge of the work table 26, and upper leg 78extends generally parallel to the trailing edge of the work table. Clampmechanism 80 is supported at the upper end of the stacker arm 75includes clamp plate 81 which is rigidly connected to the upper leg 78of stacker arm 75 and movable clamp plate 82 which moves back and forthand into and out of engagement with stationary clamp plate 81. Pneumaticclamp ram 84 is mounted on the center leg 77 of stacker arm 75, and it'sdrive shaft 86 is connected to crank link 88 of movable clamp plate 82,so that when drive shaft 86 is extended from clamp ram 84, crank link 88will cause movable clamp plate 82 to move toward stationary clamp plate81 with a clamping or grasping motion.

Extension arm 89 projects laterally from center leg 77 of stacker arm75, and lost motion bracket 90 has its elongated slot 91 extending aboutthe extension arm. Coil compression spring 92 is positioned in slot 91and normally urges extension arm 89 toward the end of slot 91 adjacentwork table 26. Lost motion bracket 90 is connected to the end of driveshaft 94 of double acting pneumatic stacker arm ram 95.

Holding plate 96 is rigidly connected to lower leg 76 of stacker arm 75between bearing blocks 72 and 73, and pneumatic holding ram 98 ispositioned so that its drive shaft 99 engages holding plate 96 when thedrive shaft projects from the ram, to hold stacker arm 75 in a raisedposition away from the trailing edge of work table 26. When pneumaticholding ram 98 allows its drive shaft 99 to retract, stacker arm 75 willbe allowed to move toward work table 26 under the influence of coilcompression spring 92 of lost motion bracket 90 of stacker ram 95.

Bleed valves 100, 101 and 102 are positioned at the end of lower leg 76of stacker arm 75, and earns 104, 105 and 106 are arranged to actuatethe bleed valves upon the rotation of lower leg 76 of stacker arm 75.

Conveyor 35 is positioned in spaced relationship behind work table 26,generally between the end of the stroke of stacker arm 75 and the worktable. Conveyor 35 comprises a pair of spaced apart V-belts 108 and 109mounted about sheaves 110, 111, and 112, with sheave 112 being driven byelectric motor 114. The upper flights of V-belts 108 and 109 areapproximately horizontal and they are usually arranged parallel to thetrailing edge of work table 26 and positioned in alignment with themovement of clamp mechanism 80 of stacker 34. V-belts 108 and 109 arenormally stationary, and electric motor 114 is actuated to drive theV-belts by a switch at the sewing station operators position. Thearrangement is such that the operation can stack garment parts uponconveyor 35 until a bunch of garment parts is stacked in a pile on theconveyor belt, and the operator can then energize motor 114 to drive theconveyor belt and move the stacked bunch out of alignment with stacker34 and the subsequent bunches being processed from the sewing stationcan be stacked in an empty location on the conveyor. The stacks ofgarment parts can be allowed to accumulate along the length of theconveyor, if desired.

As is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the control mechanism for causingcutter apparatus 31 and stacker 34 to function is energized by photocell115 which is positioned between sewing machine 28 and cutter apparatus31, generally in alignment with the gap 44 of sewing machine 28.Photocell 115 is arranged so that it will detect the presence or absenceof a shirt front panel 11 passing from sewing machine 28 by sensingdarkness or light as the shirt front panel covers and then exposes thephotocell.

As is illustrated in FIG. 4, a source of air pressure 116 is provided topressurize the flow lines of the system through filter 118 and flowregulator 119. The photocell 115 and control are illustrated in both theupper and lower portions of P16. 4, but it will be understood that onlyone photocell and control are necessary to cause the system to functionproperly. When photocell 115 senses a change from light to dark, as whena shoulder edge 16 of a shirt front panel 11 is passing through the gap44 of sewing machine 28, solenoid 121 will be energized to shift andreturn valve spool 122 of solenoid 123 and create a flow of air fromflow conduit 124 to flow conduit 125. The air passing through flowconduit 125 will be received in the left end of shuttle valve 126 andcause valve spool 128 to move to the right. This causes the pressurizedair flow conduit 124 to communicate with the upper end of pneumaticcutter ram 51 and the left end of shuttle valve 126. Pneumatic cutterram will then act against the compression of its spring 71 to thrust itspusher bar 52 in a downward direction against the upper edges of cutterblades 56 and 58 to cause the cutter blades to move downward in ascissors action in the opening in the work table. Since the curvedcutter blade 56 is positioned so that it extends generally across thepath of travel of the center plait 12 of the garment and is locatedcloser to the sewing machine than straight cutter blade 58, the curvedcutter blade 56 will function to cut the leading end of center plait 12(FIG. 1). Of course, the curvature of curved cutter blade 56 is chosento match the curvature of the neck opening edge 18 of the shirt frontpanel 11 and the cut made in the center plait 12 will be approximatelycoextensive with the neck opening edge 18.

Since the shifting of solenoid valve 23 is only instantaneous, flowconduit 125 will be vented through solenoid valve 23 upon the return ofvalve spool 122, and the pressure on the left end of valve spool 128 ofshuttle valve 126 will be depleted while the spring 71 in cutter ram 51will tend to maintain the pressure in cutter ram 51 and on the right endof shuttle valves spool 128. This causes valve spool 128 to shift backto the left, so that cutter ram 51 will be allowed to bleed rapidlythrough shuttle valve 126 instead of having to bleed back through flowconduit 125 through solenoid valve 123. This arrangement causes a quickreturn of cutter ram 51 and cutter blade 56 and 58.

Control 120 is programmed so that when photocell 115 de tects a changefrom light to dark, only cutter apparatus 31 will be energized andstacker 34 will remain dormant.

When photocell 115 detects a change from darkness to light, as when thetail edge 15 of the shirt front panel passes over the photocell, cutterapparatus 31 will be energized again in a manner similar to thatpreviously described. In addition, control 120 is programmed to beginthe movement of stacker 34. Solenoid 130 is momentarily shifted to openbleed valve 131. Bleed valve 131 is connected to the end of holding ramshuttle valve 132. Since flow conduit 139 is connected to the source ofair pressure 116 and its branch conduits 135 and 136 communicate withthe ends of shuttle valve 132, bleed valve 131 will deplete the pressurein the lower end of shuttle valve 132 and allow its valve shuttle 133 tomove in a downward direction. This causes the pressure from flow conduit139 which was previously in communication with pneumatic holding ram 98to terminate its communication with this ram, and the ram is then bledthrough shuttle valve 132 to the atmosphere. This results in theretraction of ram drive shaft 99 from holding plate 96 and allowsstacker arm 75 to pivot about its lower leg 76 toward the trailing edgeof work table 26.

The downward pivoting movement of stacker arm 75 causes cam 104 toengage bleed valve 100. Bleed valve 100 communicates with the lower endof clamp shuttle valve 138 through flow line 134. Clamp shuttle valve138 communicates with flow conduit 124, and the ends of the valveshuttle 140 are pressurized. When bleed valve 100 is opened, thepressure is exhausted from the lower end of valve shuttle 140 causingthe valve shuttle to move in a downward direction. Prior to the downwardmovement of valve shuttle 140, the pressure from flow conduit 124 hadnot been allowed to flow through clamp shuttle valve 138, and when valveshuttle 140 is moved in a downward direction, pressure communicatesthrough clamp shuttle valve 138 with clamp ram 84, causing its driveshaft 86 to extend out of the ram and urge movable clamp plate 82against stationary clamp plate 81 through crank link 88.

Bleed valve 100 also communicates with the lower end of arm shuttlevalve 141. Arm shuttle 141 communicates with the flow conduit 124 andits ends are charged with air pressure. When the lower end of armshuttle valve is exhausted through bleed valve 100, valve shuttle 142moves in a downward direction. Prior to its downward movement, the airpressure from flow conduit 124 communicated with the upper end ofstacker arm ram 95. Upon downward movement of valve shuttle 142, the airpressure communicates with the lower end of stacking cylinder 95 and theupper end of stacking cylinder 95 is allowed to bleed through armshuttle valve 141 to the atmosphere. Thus, stacker arm 75 is pivotedaround its lower end away from work table 26 and generally over conveyor35.

As stacker arm 75 moves away from work table 26 and generally overconveyor 35, bleed valve 101 will be engaged by its cam and willfunction to bleed the upper end of clamp shuttle valve 138, causingvalve shuttle 140 to move in an upward direction. This causes thepressure from flow conduit 124 to be cut off from clamp ram 84 and clampram 84 is bled to the atmosphere. The coil compression spring 87 ofclamp ram 84 then causes drive shaft 86 of clamp ram 84 to be retractedinto the ram, and movable clamp plate 82 will be moved away fromstationary clamp 81, thereby releasing the material grasped by clampmechanism 80.

Further movement of stacker arm 75 away from work table 26 causes bleedvalve 102 to be engaged by its cam, which functions to bleed the upperends of holding ram shuttle valve 132 and arm shuttle valve 141. Whenholding ram shuttle valve 132 is bled in this manner, its valve shuttle133 moves in an upward direction which causes the air pressure from airflow conduit 139 to be directed to holding ram 98, thus causing itsdrive shaft to protrude. When the air pressure is bled from the upperend of arm shuttle valve 141, its valve shuttle 142 moves in an upwarddirection, thereby diverting the air pressure from the lower end ofstacker arm ram 95 to the upper end thereof, which causes stacker arm 75to reverse its direction of movement.

As stacker arm 75 moves back toward work table 26, it will be engaged bythe drive shaft 99 of holding ram 98, so that its clamp mechanism isheld away from the edge of work table 26. Coil compression spring 92 inlost motion bracket of stacking ram allows the stacking ram to fullyretract while accommodating the position of stacker arm 75. In thisposition, stacker 34 is ready for another cycle and will respond tophotocell when the photocell senses a change from dark to light.

As is illustrated in H6. 5, some garments are of such width or breadththat the arrangement of the cutting blades in the cutter apparatus 31 ofP16. 2 will not accommodate the garments, and the lengths of thegarments are so short or so long that their stacking movements must beprecisely controlled. As an example, the front panel of a woman's dressor shift is illustrated which includes a center neck opening edge 151,shoulder edges 152, arm opening edges 153, side edges 154, and tail edge155. The center plait 156 must be attached to the center of the garmentpart at the center of the neck opening edge 151 and the width of thegarment part and the placement of center plait 156 at the center of thegarment part is such that cutter apparatus 31 of P16. 2 would notaccommodate the garment part in performing the cutting function on theends of the center plait. To accommodate the placement of the centerplait on the relatively wide garment, cutter mechanism 161 (FIG. 6) isprovided which is positioned behind sewing machine 128. The cuttermechanism 161 includes a pair of inverted U-shaped support bars 162mounted upon work table 26 and braced by struts 163. Support bars 162define a passage or tunnel 164 of a width extending across a majorportion of the width of the work table. Support plate 165 is connectedto and is supported between support bars 162, alignment plate 166 ispositioned vertically above support plate 165, and ram support plate 168is positioned vertically above alignment support plate 166. Pneumaticcutter ram 169 is mounted on ram support plate 168, and alignmentbearings 170 are positioned between ram support plate 168 and alignmentplate 166. Guide tubes 171 extend between alignment plate 166 andsupport plate 165 and accommodate the movable shafts (not shown) ofalignment bearings 170 and cutter ram 169.

Cutter housing 172 is positioned below support plate 165 and above andin alignment with the opening 174 in work table 26. As is illustrated inFIG. 8, curved cutter blade 175 is held in a blade support block 176below cutter housing 172. Support pin extends from blade support block176 in an upward direction through an opening in cutter housing 172 andboss 179 is rigidly connected to support pin 178 within the cutterhousing. Leaf spring 180 is engaged at one end by set screw 181 and isbowed about upright screw 183 into engagement with extension 182 of boss179. Thus, curved cutter blade 175 is urged to pivot about the axis ofits support pin 178; however, abutment 185 is connected to cutterhousing 172 and extends down below the lower limits of cutter housing172 into the path of blade support block 176. Set screw 186 extendsthrough abutment 185 to adjustably engage blade 175 and limit themovement of curved cutter blade 175. The arrangement is such that curvedcutter blade 175 will always be urged toward the leading edge 186 of thecutter opening 174 in the work table 26.

Straight cutter blade 188 is supported in its blade support block 189 onthe rear of cutter housing 172. Blade support block 189 of straightblade 188 is rigidly connected to cutter housing 172 and is positionedto move closely adjacent the trailing edge 190 of cutter blade opening174 in the work table. Thus, curved cutter blade 175 and straight cutterblade 188 move with a guillotine motion with respect to cutter bladeopening 174, and the path across the work table 26 beneath cuttermechanism 161 is thus unencumbered for the entire width of the passage164 beneath support bars 162. With this arrangement, the leading end 157of the center plait 156 will be cut by curved cutter blade 175 with acurved cut 159 while the trailing end 158 of the center plait will becut with a straight cut by straight cutter blade 188.

As is illustrated in FIG. 7, curved cutter blade 175 has a radius ofcurvature which is greater than the curvature ofleading edge 186 ofcutter blade opening 174. While the enlarged base portion of the cutterblade is positioned so that it will always be received in the confinesof cutter blade opening 174, its smaller end overlaps leading edge 186of the cutter blade opening 174. With this arrangement, when curvedcutter blade 175 is thrust in a downward direction, its enlarged baseend will be received in cutter blade opening 174 and the inclinedcutting edge 177 of the blade will progressively en gage the leadingedge 186 of the cutter blade opening 174, across the leading edge 186and along the inclined curved edge 177 of the cutter blade.

Cutter housing 172 is positioned with respect to the sewing head of thesewing machine so that the center plait 156 of the garment will normallytravel beneath the inclined portion of the curved cutter blade, and whenthe curved cutter blade is moving in a downward direction, its base anda portion of its inclined edge adjacent the base will be received in thecutter opening 174 before the inclined portion of the blade makesengagement with the leading edge 186 of cutter blade opening 174. As thecutter blade moves further into blade opening 174 it engages the centerplait of the garment. With this arrangement, if any lateral blade bounceor vibration is encountered in the movement of the cutting blade in adownward direction upon its initial engagement with the leading edge 186of cutter blade opening 174, the bounce or vibration will have beendampened by the time the center plait of the garment is engaged by thecutting edge of the cutting blade. Ofcourse, the amplitude of the bounceor vibration can be controlled to a certain extent by adjustment ofscrew bearing 183 in cutter housing 172.

As is illustrated in FIG. 6, stacker 194 is positioned behind work table26 and includes support frame 195, spaced apart upwardly extendingparallel drive arms 196 and 197, and a pair of spaced apart downwardlyextending support arms 198 and 199. Drive arms 196 and 197 are pivotallyconnected at their lower ends to frame 195, and support arms 198 and 199are pivotally connected at their upper ends to the movable upper ends ofdrive arms 196 and 197 respectively. Crank linkages 200 and 201 aremounted at the sides of the frame 195 adjacent the drive and supportarms, and each crank linkage includes an upwardly extending link 202pivotally connected at its lower end to frame and pivotally connected atits upper end to one end of lateral link 203. The other end of laterallink 203 is rigidly connected to a support arm 198 or 199 by means ofconnecting strut 205. Thus, the connecting strut 205, support arms I98and 199, and the lateral links 203 of the crank linkages 200 and 201 arerigidly connected together. Thus, when the drive arms 196 and 197 movein unison in the directions indicated by arrow 206, crank linkages 200and 201 will cause the lower ends of support arms 198 and 199 to move inunison and in the directions indicated by arrow 208. It should be notedthat when drive arms, 196 and 197 move away from work table 26, theupper ends of support arms 198 and 199 will be carried with the drivearms and the crank linkages 200 and 201 will cause the lower ends ofsupport arms 198 and 199 to move in the same direction. The arrangementis such that the lower ends of support arms 198 and 199 will move in agenerally lateral direction without any substantial change in elevation.

A pair of clamp struts 209 and 210 are pivotally connected at their endsto the lower ends of support arms 198 and 199. Engaging gears 211 and212 are rigidly connected to clamp struts 209 and 210 causing thesestruts to move in unison, but in opposite rotational directions. Clampplates 213 and 214 are rigidly connected to clamp struts 209 and 210 andare rotatable with toward and away from each other with a clamping orgrasping movement. Clamp plates 213 and 214 are arranged to move towardeach other and engage the lateral ledge of the L-shaped plate 216extending from the trailing edge of work table 26. When the clamp plates213 and 214 are opened and are away from each other, the lateral ledge216 at the edge of the work table will be unencumbered.

Pneumatic clamp ram 218 is connected to support arm 199 and its driveshaft 219 operates crank 220 connected to clamp strut 210 to providerotational movement to clamp struts 209 and 210.

Drive arm ram 221 is connected to frame and its drive shaft 222 isconnected to drive arm 196 to provide movement to drive arms 196 and 197and support arms 198 and 199.

Conveyor 224 is positioned beneath frame 195 at a position generally atthe end of the movement of clamp plates 213 and 214 away from work table26. Conveyor 224 is generally similar to conveyor 35 of FIG. 2.

Bleed valves 225 and 226 are mounted on frame 195 and arranged to beengaged by the movement of drive arm 197. As an alternative, thesevalves can be made responsive to cams connected to a drive arm 196 or197 in a manner similar to the bleed valves 100, 101 and 102 in FIG. 2.

Photocells 228 and 229 are positioned behind sewing machine 28 and onopposite sides of the path usually travelled by the center plait of agarment passing from sewing head 29. Photocells 228 and 229 are arrangedso that either one or the other photocells will function to control thesystem, as will be explained hereinafter. A switch is provided (notshown) for switching to one or the other of the photocells.

As is illustrated in FIG. 9, when a garment passing from sewing head 29causes a photocell 228 or 229 to sense a change from light to dark,cutter mechanism 161 will be energized through an air flow arrangementidentical to that illustrated in FIG. 4 and the stacker 194 will not beenergized until the photocell senses a change from dark to light.

When the change is detected photocell 228 causes a momentary actuationof solenoid 240 which shifts bleed valve 241 to its open position tovent the lower end of clamp shuttle valve 236. Since both ends of theshuttle valve are charged by flow conduit 234, the shuttle 238 shifts tothe lower vented end of the valve housing and the high pressure air fromair flow conduit 234 then charges clamp ram 218 to close clamp plates213 and 214 toward each other against the bias to the internal spring239 within the clamp ram. Thus, clamp plates 213 and 214 come togetherwith their grasping motion at the protruding lateral edge 216 of worktable 26.

As clamp plates 213 and 214 engage the protruding edge 216 of the worktable, solenoid 230 is momentarily actuated in response to photocell 228and a controlled delay. Solenoid 230 causes bleed valve 231 to evacuatethe lower end of shuttle valve 232 and since flow conduit 234 chargesboth ends of arm shuttle valve 232, the evacuation of the lower end ofthe shuttle valve causes the valve shuttle 235 to move in a downwarddirection and air flow conduit 234 then communicates through arm shuttlevalve 232 to the lower end of stacker ram 221. This causes the lower endof stacker ram 221 to be charged with pressure while the upper end ofthe stacker ram is vented to the atmosphere and drive arms [96 and 197are moved away from work table 26.

As drive arm 197 approaches the end of its outward movement, it engagesbleed valve 225, which functions to bleed the upper end of clamp shuttlevalve 236, causing valve shuttle 238 to move in an upward direction.This blocks the pressure from air flow conduit 234 to clamp ram 218. andbleeds clamp ram 218 to the atmosphere. The coil compression spring 239within the clamp ram 218 then causes ram drive shaft 219 to retract andopen clamp plates 213 and 214. [n the meantime, further backwardmovement of drive arms 196 and 197 causes drive arm 197 to engage bleedvalve 226 which vents the upper end of arm shuttle valve 232 causing itsvalve shuttle 235 to move in an upward direction. This causes the lowerend of stacker ram 221 to be bled to the atmosphere and pressurizes theupper end of the stacker ram, causing the drive arms 196 and 197 toreverse their movement and generally move back toward work table 26.

This mode of operation causes the material passing from sewing machine28 to be grasped by stacker 194 as the material passes beyond photocells228 and 229 and to be carried toward conveyor 224. When the material hasbeen moved above the conveyor, it will be released and will fall to theconveyor. The stacker then returns to its ready position where it isavailable for the next garment portion passing from sewing machine 28.

The configuration of stacker 194 is such that garments of virtually anylength can be handled by merely repositioning conveyor 224 at thedesired location beneath frame 195. For instance, to accommodate anextremely long garment conveyor 224 would be placed close to work table226, so that the portion of the garment grasped by clamp plates 213 and214 would be carried well beyond the conveyor, and the garment wouldtend to have its center portion draped over the conveyor. To stack asmaller garment, conveyor 224 would be moved away from work table 26, sothat the stacker would tend to lay the center portion of the garmentacross the conveyor.

The configuration of cutter apparatus 161 and its support is such thatgarments of a width as wide as the passage 164 beneath support bars 162can be accommodated, and the cutter will tend to cut the portion of thegarment passing from cutter had 29.

While this invention has been described in detail with particularreference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood thatvariations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scopeof the invention as described hereinbefore and as defined in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A method of attaching a center plait to a garment part of a shirt orthe like comprising:

matching the center plait with a garment part with the ends of thecenter plait extending beyond the limits of the garment part,

progressively passing the matched center plait and garment part througha sewing machine and stitching the center plait to the garment part withthe sewing machine,

cutting the leading end of the center plait at a position approximatelycoextensive with the leading edge of the garment part while the centerplait is being stitched to the garment part cutting the trailing end ofthe center plait at a position approximately coextensive with thetrailing edge of the garment part as the center plait moves away fromthe sewing machine.

2. The method of claim 1 and wherein the step of cutting the leading endof the center plait comprises cutting the leading end of the centerplait with a curved cut.

3. The method of claim 1 and wherein the step of cutting the leading endof the center plait comprises cutting the leading end of the centerplait as the leading edge of the garment part reaches a predeterminedposition.

4. The method of claim 1 and wherein the step of cutting the trailingend of the center plait comprises cutting the trailing end of the centerplait as the trailing edge of the garment part reaches a predeterminedposition.

5. The method of claim 1 and further including the step of grasping thegarment part and center plait as the garment part and center plait moveaway from the sewing machine and moving the garment part and centerplait to a remote location.

6. The method of claim 1 and further including the step of grasping thegarment part and center plait as the trailing edge of the garment partreaches a predetermined position and moving the garment part and centerplait to a remote location.

1. A method of attaching a center plait to a garment part of a shirt orthe like comprising: matching the center plait with a garment part withthe ends of the center plait extending beyond the limits of the garmentpart, progressively passing the matched center plait and garment partthrough a sewing machine and stitching the center plait to the garmentpart with the sewing machine, cutting the leading end of the centerplait at a position approximately coextensive with the leading edge ofthe garment part while the center plait is being stitched to the garmentpart, cutting the trailing end of the center plait at a positionapproximately coextensive with the trailing edge of the garment part asthe center plait moves away from the sewing machine.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 and wherein the step of cutting the leading end of the centerplait comprises cutting the leading end of the center plait with acurved cut.
 3. The method of claim 1 and wherein the step of cutting theleading end of the center plait comprises cutting the leading end of thecenter plait as the leading edge of the garment part reaches apredetermined position.
 4. The method of claim 1 and wherein the step ofcutting the trailing end of the center plait comprises cutting thetrailing end of the center plait as the trailing edge of the garmentpart reaches a predetermined position.
 5. The method of claim 1 andfurther including the step of grasping the garment part and center plaitas the garment part and center plait move away from the sewing machineand moving the garment part and center plait to a remote location. 6.The method of claim 1 and further including the step of grasping thegarment part and center plait as the trailing edge of the garment partreaches a predetermined position and moving the garment part and centerplait to a remote location.